What Researchers Did
Researchers described two cases where intravenous lidocaine was used as an adjunctive therapy for severe decompression illness alongside recompression and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
What They Found
The first patient demonstrated improvement only after intravenous lidocaine was added to her treatment. The second patient achieved essentially complete recovery after a single lidocaine treatment, despite severe symptoms and a significant delay in presentation.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
While based on only two cases, this report suggests that intravenous lidocaine might be a beneficial adjunctive treatment for severe decompression illness. Canadian patients experiencing severe decompression illness could potentially benefit from further research into this therapy alongside standard recompression and hyperbaric oxygen.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
This study is limited by its descriptive case report design, which prevents generalizable conclusions and necessitates controlled clinical trials.